SAVE BIG ELK CREEK

Save Big Elk Creek Expresses Deep Concern Over DCNR's Master Plan for Big Elk Creek State Park, Which Fails to Honor Preserve Status and Fiduciary Duties - February 18, 2026

Save Big Elk Creek, a community-led organization co-founded by Anteia Consorto and Carmela Ciliberti dedicated to protecting the natural integrity of Big Elk Creek as a low-impact preserve, today voices serious reservations regarding the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (DCNR) recently unveiled Master Plan for Big Elk Creek State Park.

While DCNR describes the plan as a balanced vision for visitor access, recreation, conservation, and education—with physical improvements affecting less than 0.5% of the park's acreage—the document falls short of the commitments made to the community and the explicit terms under which the land was acquired.

Save Big Elk Creek participated in good faith in the DCNR-imposed Task Force process (view here), which followed community opposition to DCNR's initial November 6, 2023 proposal that included extensive development such as a large visitor center, bath house, maintenance building, cabins, RV campsites, and significant infrastructure (view here). That opposition prompted a January 10, 2024 Town Hall agreement—endorsed by DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn—to form a community-led advisory group involving appointments from local townships, Chester County Commissioners, and state legislators, with a clear mandate to restore trust and protect the land's preserve status (watch here).

Instead, DCNR unilaterally created a Task Force under its control, appointing a DCNR employee as chair, predetermining a development-oriented process, limiting meeting frequency and access, and closing sessions to the public. This approach disregarded the collaborative spirit promised at the Town Hall and undermined community input.

The final Master Plan (view here), a 100-page document, dedicates only one paragraph to the critical question of preserve status. Despite strong advocacy from many Task Force members—including Save Big Elk Creek—to incorporate "Preserve" in the property's name and align management with the adjacent White Clay Creek Preserve, DCNR has merely committed to "considering" it after completing a Cultural Resources Management Plan. The current placeholder name "Big Elk Creek State Park" does not reflect the land's intended purpose.

Chester County taxpayers and the Mount Cuba Center provided nearly 80% of the $32.25 million acquisition cost—over $25 million—expressly to place the land in Pennsylvania's environmental public trust as an extension of the White Clay Creek Preserve. As trustee, DCNR has a fiduciary duty under Pennsylvania trust law to conserve and maintain the corpus prudently, loyally, and impartially, as affirmed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation v. Commonwealth (161 A.3d 911, Pa. 2017).  DCNR is therefore required to manage Big Elk Creek as an extension of the White Clay Creek Preserve, in accordance with the express purpose for which the land was acquired.

The proposed developments—including a combined park office/visitor center/education facility of approximately 4,500 sq. ft. (described by DCNR as "small" but comparable to average or medium-sized centers, far larger than DCNR's smallest at 2,400 sq. ft.), a 2,500 sq. ft. maintenance building, multiple parking areas, new trails, and other infrastructure—represent over 7,000 sq. ft. of new construction. This directly risks degrading the preserve's natural resources, in violation of DCNR's duty to prevent and remedy such impacts.

Additional unresolved concerns include:

• DCNR's disregard for township positions on locally owned trails and parking, despite promises to collaborate.

• DCNR’s mislabeling of public roads as trails pose a danger to park visitors.

• Potential environmental harm from wastewater management systems such as drip irrigation or spray fields.

• The plan's failure to meaningfully incorporate Task Force comments, despite requests for input.

It is important to note that this Master Plan is a guideline and vision document—not a final, approved design or construction plan. It is not set in stone. The community still has meaningful opportunities to influence the outcome of this project through continued engagement, coordination with elected officials, and active participation in any future planning or permitting processes. Your voice remains powerful and can help shape a truly low-impact, preserve-focused future for Big Elk Creek.

Anteia Consorto, co-founder of Save Big Elk Creek, stated: "I’m proud of how far we’ve come through community engagement and vigilance. We will need to remain actively involved as planning and implementation proceed, working with our elected officials to ensure Big Elk Creek remains low-impact, day-use only in perpetuity. I have not given up on achieving full preserve status for the land and will continue my efforts to permanently protect our home. Please join us in continuing to Save Big Elk Creek."

Carmela Ciliberti, co-founder, added: "This Master Plan does not acknowledge or align with Big Elk Creek’s preserve status as intended by the donors and taxpayers who funded its protection. DCNR's approach prioritizes development over the fiduciary duty to conserve this irreplaceable natural asset. But this is not the end of the story—the community can still impact the outcome."

Save Big Elk Creek calls on DCNR to honor the original intent of the acquisition by redesignating the property as Big Elk Creek Preserve, scaling back proposed developments to minimal levels consistent with day-use preservation, and rebuilding trust through genuine collaboration with the community and townships.

Save Big Elk Creek urges elected officials, donors, and the public to demand that DCNR fulfill its role as a prudent trustee of Pennsylvania's environmental public trust. Taxpayers, conservation donors, and future generations deserve unwavering protection of this land—not its gradual commercialization.